Coffee & Figs
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
On Sunday mornings my grandmother makes it a point to make sure that I have something to eat for breakfast, to start my week right she says, and help me get over the post weekend blues. Typically, I'll have a piece of brown toast with a thin layer of salted white cheese spread on top, and one sliced boiled egg - cooked to medium. I call it my energizer, and I've found, having lived alone for my first year of college with no inkling of what a good breakfast should consist of, that breakfast can quite literally make or break your day.
I am a coffee person, and so my morning coffee is an essential part of my day. Yes, I am only 23 but the addiction is very real. In general, the tradition in Egypt is to have a cup of "Chai bi Laban" aka red tea with a drop of milk, preferably condensed. Personally, I prefer coffee. Breakfast has slowly become my favorite meal of the day, having never considered it earlier on in my adulthood, and instead choosing to simply gulp down a medium cup of coffee and a biscuit as a substitute for a proper meal.
Here is a list of my top 10 quick fix, energizing breakfast meals that work on any day:
- Brown toast, 1 boiled egg, and cream cheese - or any type of cheese you'd prefer
- Fruit granola and yogurt with a splash of honey
- Any kind of eggs with melted cheese, turkey or both!
- Nut Butter (or pure peanut butter), 2 bananas and whole wheat toast
- Strawberry, banana, skimmed milk, and plain yoghurt smoothie
- Oat fruit salad - use fruits of your choice - my favorites are figs, berries, mangos, strawberries and ricola is always good although not a fruit, then add oats
- Figs, goat cheese, honey and toast - this quick fix was inspired by Eatery's breakfast menu and it has become one of my favorites to date
- Avocado toast with poached eggs - If you have time that is, since the avocado is best mashed or as a spread. Saturday morning maybe?
- Peanut butter and banana smoothie - banana in any smoothie will give you enough energy to last a good 5 hours
- Veggies and eggs - cooked any way you'd like but preferably scrambled - with a side of a fruit of your choice to brighten things up a little bit
I know that the above list is nothing ground breaking, and you've probably read these recommendations before, but this is what works for me, a person who is new to the breakfast game. I jotted this list down in hopes that in the midst of our plethora of New Years Resolutions, we could all at least get breakfast right. Take it one step at a time. Cultivate a routine in your day, and maybe go out to the supermarket tomorrow and buy everything you need to motivate yourself.
I hope this post encourages some of you to whip up something quick and easy. At the very least on Sundays!*
*Footnote: Sunday is the official start of the work/educational week in Egypt.
“I went to a restaurant that serves ‘breakfast at any time’. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance. ”
